In one of my flights from New York to London, I overheard a lady across the aisle complaining to her husband about her TMJ. She said she needed a sip of water so that she could take some aspirin.

As soon as the flight attendant arrived, this woman that was overcome with pain began to tell a rather long story about the anguish she had been experiencing since she developed TMJ and how it always got worse when she was flying.

I was tempted to correct her and tell her that we all have TMJ, which is the acronym of Temporomandibular Joint. TMJ is a unique joint on either side or our jaw formed by the union of our temporal bone (skull) and the mandible (lower jaw).

The actual soreness that we feel when our TMJ malfunctions is known as TMD, acronym for temporomandibular joint disorder (or dysfunction).

The TMJ's role is to act as a "shock absorber". It allows movement forward and backward, side to side and up and down. TMD happens when the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and other tissures involved become stressed or inflamed.

This can cause an assortment of ailments including headaches, neck aches, back aches, swelling of the face, jaw pain, and an inability to chew or swallow without some degree of pain.

It is still unknown why TMD affects women in much larger numbers than men, but there are a number of studies which show that the frequent relief brought on by pregnancy is a sign that TMD is affected by hormonal changes in the body.

Again I resist telling that to my aisle mate, as I'm almost definite that she would rather take her aspirin than to get pregnant. On the other had, we do have a rather long flight ahead of us.

Now let me clarify. I'm not suggesting that morning sickness, labor, delivery, child rearing and college tuition are worth the nine months of relief away from TMD, however, with the excruciating pain being experienced by sufferers, pregnancy seems like a good idea. For men and those who cannot bear children anymore, arthritis medications may offer some relief.

Some report that ice or heat packs can bring temporary relief. But for extreme cases wherein even trying to open the mouth is too painful to do, surgery is often recommended.

Before resorting to such extreme measures, it would be prudent to note that many find relief by eating soft foods, avoiding chewing gum, beef jerky or jawbreakers.

Stay away from activities such as singing and yawning and remember that extreme movements involving the jaw, such as chewing ice or holding the phone between your shoulder and your jaw should likewise be avoided.

Above all else, don't overlook the possibility that simple stress could be the lone culprit in this misery we call TMD. Along with stress, many experience jaw clenching, teeth grinding and poor posture.

These are all believed to contribute to our TMD problems. So before you choose surgery OR pregnancy, sit up straight, take a deep breath, throw away those gums, and just relax.

An even better source of relief is by using my program "TMJ No More", an all-natural alternative to the conventional therapies. Just a few simple exercises done each day can remove your TMJ pain permanently!